Archive for Heels at the Game

Raptors Play Big, Silence The Wolves

January 10, 2012 Nat Heels at the Game

Photo Credit: APNot gonna lie. I walked into the Air Canada Centre tonight looking forward to watching the Kevin Love – Ricky Rubio show, and walked away with a new found appreciation for the heart and hustle of Amir Johnson. Postgame, coach Casey revealed that Amir was dealing with the flu but it sure didn’t affect his game. Aside from putting up 19 points and 11 rebounds, Amir had Kevin Love on lockdown. He made sure Love earned everything — that ended up being a poor, 3-16 from the field.

Amir wasn’t the only Raptor to impress, Andrea Bargnani continued to silence his critics, putting together his third 30 point game of the season. The Timberwolves bit on Andrea’s fake at the 3 point line all night and he rarely settled for the jumper. He put that quick first step to use and went to the hoop early and often. Tallying 31 points to go with 9 rebounds, one has to think this new version of Bargnani is here to stay. While the Raptor bigs carried the load offensively, the play of James Johnson cannot be overlooked. He made use of his five fouls and showed again why he should soon get that starting SF spot over Rasual Butler who has surely left his jump shot south of the border.

For most of the night it felt like the Raptors were dominating but the scoreboard told a different story. They had managed to contain Rubio & Co. for the most part but the additional free throws and three’s kept the Timberwolves in the game. The Raptors upped the ante on defense in the 4th, and Minny managed just six made field goals in the frame. There were moments where Rubio dazzled but his counterpart and mentor Calderon, held his own. The Raptors’ starters logged major minutes in order to close this one out but may be running on fumes as they hop on a plane and prepare to face the Wizards in less than 24 hours.

The Night in Numbers

9 blocks for the Raptors as a team. James Johnson, who was in the zone all night tied a career high with 4.
75-37 the Raptors starters outscored the Timberwolves’ starting five. 50 of the 75 coming from Bargnani and A. Johnson.
34% FG for the Wolves. The revamped Raptors D was in full effect tonight. This is the fifth time in nine games the Raptors have held an opponent to under 40% from the floor. They only pulled that off five times all of last season. They shot 44% on the night.
3 made three’s for the Raptors. The team struggled from deep going just 3 of 19. Minnesota made 5 of their 8 three’s in the first quarter.
9 points for DeMar Derozan who is struggling to find consistency on the offensive end. He did attack the basket more once that jumper wasn’t falling.
20 second chance points for the Raptors who crashed the offensive boards hard tonight. Amir Johnson had 8 ORB’s and the Raptors had 14 as a team.
45 minutes of playing time for Bargnani. He made the most of them but it is to be seen how the legs hold up in he second and third games of the back to back to back.
26 FT’s made by the Raptors. The team stayed aggressive when the 3 ball was not falling and got to the line 28 times. Barbosa was perfect from the line going 9-9.

Top 10 tweets from the #RTZ chat on twitter (LINK)

Up Next: Raptors @ Wizards. Tuesday, 10th Jan. 2012. 7PM
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Raptors Clamp Down On D, Dominate The Cavs

January 5, 2012 Nat Heels at the Game

andrea Primo Pregame, the story was all about Tristan Thompson’s homecoming. The highest drafted Canuck was preparing to suit up for the first time in front of family and friends, in an arena where not too long ago, he sat in the nosebleed’s to cheer on the same team he was about to face. The Toronto Raptors couldn’t care less, they were preparing to win. And win they did. It took them a while to get going offensively but another big night from Bargnani and DeRozan gave the Raptors(3-3) the 92-77 victory over the Cavs last night.

Defensively this was the best effort put forth by the team so far in this young season. The Raptors are making it hard for their opponents to get the easy buckets they were knowing for giving up. They held the Cavs to under 30% from the floor and it is starting to become a pattern. Casey has made these guys, essentially the same core from last season, do a 180. The bad habits show up from time to time but its hard to miss all the talking going on, the improved defensive rotations and the shot contests. While the Cavs are hardly a benchmark to judge against, the Raps have been showing this new look for 6 games now. It suits them. Offensively they still have a ways to go because DeMar isn’t going to give them 5 three’s a night and Andrea is going to start facing a double team soon. If there was a weakness in this one it has to be the lack of production from the small forward spot once again. Butler is just a black hole right now, and James Johnson needs to find a jumper.

Once the team starts putting things together on both ends of the floor, which I believe they will, expect there to be lots of empty room on the “TankNation” bandwagon.

The Night in Numbers

29.6% from the field were the Cavs who were stifled by the Raptors D all night. The Raptors are currently the only team holding opponents to an average of under 40% from the floor. Impressive for anyone, more so for a team never mentioned when talking defence.

3 double-doubles for Jose Calderon after he put up 13 and 11 against the Cavs last night. Jose is playing some of the best ball of his career right now and has built a chemistry with both Andrea and Amir on that pick ‘n roll or pick ‘n pop.

“He is much better than people give him credit for as far as his solid play, running the team, shooting the basketball.” – Dwane Casey on Calderon’s play early in the season.

31 points from Andrea Bargnani and they all came within the flow of the offense. He is averaging 24 points on the season (7th best in the league) and doing it efficiently. Even more surprising, he is fully committed on the defensive end of the floor and it hasn’t taken away from what everyone knew he could do, which is score.

“He is playing at an all-star level. I am totally impressed with his approach, defensively and offensively.” — Dwane Casey on Andrea

5 made 3′s for DeRozan. He made 5 all of last season. DeMar put in a lot of work on that jumper this offseason, he was in the gym making 300 three pointers a day. Against the Cavs he picked his spots but that hard work is already paying off. The percentages are off the charts right now compared to last year but even if they come down to earth, its nice that he has this as an arsenal to use.

“He opens up the floor for everybody else. Now you have to honour him. It’s going to help us a lot offensively, especially on the pick and roll” — Dwane Casey on DeMar’s extended range

11 Turnovers, a category the team is still a little up and down with. They were much better handling the ball against the Cavs and sit around the middle of the pack in terms of coughing the ball up. Having the leader in AST-TO ratio in Jose, the Raptors should be fine over the course of the season. On the other end of the spectrum, the Raps are last in opponent turnovers per game. (source)

-13 in the FT category. The Raptors are near the bottom of the league when it comes to getting to the line. Most of that has to do with the fact that Andrea, and for the most part this season, DeMar have been playing outside the paint. The positive from last night, the Raptors gave nothing easy. Opponents are made to earn it at the line in coach Casey’s new system.

4 fast break points. Though coach Casey has stated he wants the team to get out and run it’s not happening. The Raptors are very much half court team right now, a lot has to do with the style of play from Calderon and Bargnani. As @Liston pointed out in his stats breakdown on Raptors Republic – Toronto has the fifth slowest pace factor in the league at 88.8.

Up Next: Nets @ Raptors. 7PM on Friday, 6th Jan. 2012.
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Raptors Can’t Keep Pace At Home

December 29, 2011 Nat Heels at the Game

Talk about sensory overload. An early 6PM start to kick off their home opener, the Raptors introduced the team to a spectacle of pyrotechnics set to the tune of Headlines by Drake. The Canadian content didn’t stop there as Jamaal Magloire took to centre court to address the sold out crowd who were later treated to a halftime show by Kardinal Official. The show stealer though was Justin Bieber who sat courtside to take in the game and even bricked a 3 from Jimmer range during a time out. All the hoopla aside, there was an NBA game to be played so on to that…

Remember that whole thing about small victories and silver linings I mentioned before the season kicked off? Well tonight was full of them as the Raptors dropped a close one to the Pacers, 90-85. Another slow start from DeRozan combined with a struggling Calderon found the team in a 8 point hole going into the fourth. The fact that they were in this position had nothing to do with their defense, which picked up where they left off in Cleveland. Rather, the Raptors struggles came on the offensive end where the lack of practice time and a full length preseason were evident.

Andrea Bargnani carried the offensive load for the first half where the team mustered up just 34 points (Fans better get used to these low scoring affairs). Unlike previous seasons though, the Raptors remained focused on the defensive end holding the Pacers to just 38 points in the same span. They loosened up the D a little in the 3rd, but a late 4th quarter run put the team in a position to tie the game up. Considering this is a learning process and the system is fairly new, this team battled to the end when many times they could have just given up. These are the things you want to see in a team that is rebuilding. Getting the fundamentals right and the offense will follow.

After the game, Dwane Casey said he was happy with the way they played, feels they are right there and with time together as a unit, they are headed in the right direction.

The Night in Numbers

21 points for Bargnani has him join Bosh and Carter as the only Raptors players to score 20 points or more in 4 home openers. (via @RaptorsPR)
54% from the free throw line. Not going to cut it on most nights, especially when they only got there 13 times as a team.
2 straight games the Raptors have shot a better percentage from the field than their opponent. Tonight they held the Pacers to 39.5%
13 steals against a young, athletic team is another example of the effort the Raptors are bringing on the defensive end.
10 Fastbreak points registered by the Raptors who did not record a single point in that category against the Cavaliers.
0 first half points for DeMar though he ended the night with 22. Through 2 games, he has scored just 4 first half points.
22 second chance points for the Pacers to go along with the 16 points they got off 19 Raptors turnovers.

» Read more..

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Heels @ The Game – Knicks vs. Raptors [27/10/2010]

October 28, 2010 Nat Heels at the Game

Sorry this recap is a little late but I had to catch up on 12 other games in the league before rehashing this one.

There was a different vibe going as I walked through Union Station yesterday. Marketing wise, the Raptors are doing everything to move on from Chris Bosh while convincing fans this is still a product they should spend their money on. I would be lying if I said it didn’t feel strange. I have attended the past 10 home openers and for the 1st time, I have absolutely no read on the team.

The organization went with a go big or go home approach for the intro. Lights, drama and a soundtrack that was fitting. You even got to hear the words “From Georgia Tech…” as Jarrett Jack was the final player introduced. I’m sure that was a jolt for some people as that was the reserved for Bosh the past 7 years. The in arena atmosphere was better than I was expecting. They didn’t manage to sell out the game, but 18,000+ is not too shabby. Fans were given T-Shirts that said Red+Black Attack and even the suits at the ACC got in on the fun.

Getting to the game itself, the main story of the night was Amare’s regular season debut as a Knick. There was a lot of trash talk between him and Reggie Evans leading up to the game but in the end, Stoudemire got what he came in for. The Raptors started with good energy but soon found themselves down 16. Neither of the PG’s were able to get it going until Jack came in late in the 2nd quarter. The Raptors managed to cut into the Knicks lead by halftime led by Andrea Bargnani on offense. The teams went back n forth in the 2nd half until Wilson Chandler proved to be too much for the young Raptors wings. He had a team high 22 points and added 8 rebounds. While Amare was held in check for the most part, he did manage to impose his will when he was needed most. It came down to the Raptors needing a 3 and Barbosa threw up an airball. Game. Set. Match.

Final Score: NYK 98 – TOR 93

My sister @nidserz and her awesome camera were at the game today. A budding photographer, she managed to get some amazing action shots. Check out the complete set onFlickr. You can also see a set of images there from the Sixers pre-season game. (If you use any images please credit this blog.

Observations

  • I honestly could write a 1000 words on just Reggie Evans alone. He backed up the trash talk by getting under Amare’s skin all game long. There was even a point in the game when he was fronting Stoudemire but still had that mouth running. His gritty style of basketball is just what this team has been missing since the Oakley days. 0 points and 16 rebounds in 33 minutes! I will take that every night of the week from him.
  • Andrea Bargnani fans let out a sigh of relief as the big man was active on both ends of the floor. I think he could have gotten 10 rebounds if Reggie didn’t grab them away from him. Andrea had the task of speaking to the fans pre-game and held his own. No one expects this guy to be a leader but 20-10 each night would sure be nice.
  • The Raptors are not going to win too many games when they shoot as poorly as they did in this game. The 3 point streak stayed alive, just barely. Free throw shooting was a strength of this team last season but now it looks like they may sit at the bottom of the pack. I say lock these guys in a gym and make em hit 20 straight before they are allowed to leave each day.
  • Jay Triano is working with minimal talent and his coaching needs to help maximize their output. Not on this night. His playbook seems to be thinner than that of beloved sam Mitchell and it seemed he was overwhelmed when it came to making substitutions on the fly. I am sure with time the rotations will get better but this was not a good start.
  • The “Young Onez” had a rough night at the office. Amir Johnson pretty much breathes and he picks up a foul. DeMar was hesitating to do the one thing he is good at — slash to the hoop and Sonny Weems was forcing things all night. The three have so much energy they need to make sure they direct it in the right places. Wilson Chandler was the guy who got the best of them on this night. He pretty much got whatever he wanted.
  • Speaking of defense, the Raptors had impressed me with all the talking they did on the floor during pre-season. To my disappointment, they went on mute against the Knicks. Usual suspects Jack and Evans were even quiet. They need to make sure they stay talking because they gotta play this as a team to give themselves a chance each night.

Up Next: Cavaliers @ Raptors, Friday Oct. 30th 2010

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Heels @ The Game – 76ers vs. Raptors [13/10/2010]

October 14, 2010 Nat Heels at the Game

Man did it feel good to be back at the ACC. What made it even better… finally getting to watch some live basketball. Sadly, not too many others shared the sentiment. The Air Canada Center was empty. There were summer league games in Vegas that had more people than the Raptors game tonight. This is a young team that needs the fans to get behind them. I am hoping tonight was not an indication of how the city and its fans plans to treat them this season. Rain outside, sparse crowd inside — There was a basketball game to be played.

Jay Triano shuffled the starting lineup for the 4th time in as many games but this one seemed more probable than the one in Chicago. With both teams playing the back end of a back to back, a sluggish start was expected. The Raptors came out with some energy but started to fall behind 15 minutes into the game. The Sixers went into the locker room with a 50-48 lead. It wasn’t much but there were times it felt like the Raptors were setting up for a repeat of the night before — a embarrassing loss to the Bulls. The 2nd half was more of the same, back n forth where neither team seemed to be able to find that next gear to put it away. After what felt like the longest game ever, the Raptors held on to get the win in double overtime. Final score: 119-116

Observations

  • The team was actually talking on defense. Andrea calling screens, Jack directing from the sidelines and Barbosa spreading the love. From my vantage point, last season the Raptors were probably the quietest team in the league. The more they talk the better the help defense gets… and boy do they need to get better. This was probably the best thing I saw all game.
  • Andrea Bargnani has the fans worried. Rightfully so. Even though these games don’t matter, fans want to see if he can be the man to lead this team. Realistically, it is going to take a while for him to get used to the double teams and even then, his rebounding woes and lack of alertness away from the ball will hinder him. There were flashes today where I can see him take it to the next level but they were playing a smaller team and his height was a clear advantage. I am still not buying into this but seems he has the golden ticket on the team so we shall sit through 82 games for him to figure it all out.
  • Rebounding has always been the achilles heel of this team. Losing Chris Bosh just made it worse. Amir can rebound but can’t stay on the floor due to foul trouble. Reggie can rebound but is a liability on offense. Andrea… well, he’s Andrea. It is going to be the guards that will have to pick up the slack on the boards. This team wants to run so they need to rebound by committee and leak out. Barbosa, Jack and DeRozan did well in the area tonight and will need to continue that if the team wants to give themselves a chance each night.
  • Another year, another question mark about who is the #1 PG on this team. Jose and Jarrett are actually a good tandem but I am still not a fan of them on the floor together. Adding Barbosa in the mix has helped. He plays well alongside both of them. He is ready to hit the jumper when Jack is driving and has the ability to penetrate and kick out when Jose is spotted up. Seeing them play today, I definitely think we are going to see a lot of small ball. DeMar at the 3 spot and hopefully the quickness of these guys can make up for the lack of height.
  • Finally, this team looked like they were having fun out there tonight. They may not win too many games but it won’t be for the lack of trying. I want to go on record and say they have the ability to be a 32 win team. Anything less would be disappointing, anything more is just gravy.

My sister (@nidserz) and her awesome camera were at the game today. A budding photographer, she managed to get some amazing action shots. I took some shots as well so check the Flickr album and if you plan to use the photos please credit her and/or this blog. Flickr Album

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